v
/viː/letter, noun, preposition, adverb
v is spelled V: one letter and one syllable. It appears 115 times per million words in written English, the 932nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a letter, v means “The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in v?
| Letters | 1: V |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 115 times per million words; the 932nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is v?
V appears 115 times per million words in written English, the 932nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce v?
- /v/
- /viː/
V has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-v.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with v
Also written: versus.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of v
- vs plural
- v's plural
- vv. plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does v mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
letter
- 1
The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script.
noun
- 1
A shape resembling the letter.
The impact was so strong, it bent the bar into a v.
- 2
datedAbbreviation of venturi.
4v
letter
- 1
The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script.
noun
- 1
Abbreviation of vocative case.
- 2
Abbreviation of verb.
- 3
Vagina.
- 4
Abbreviation of vowel.
- 5
Abbreviation of velocity.
- 6
slangViagra.
- 7
Anything shaped like a V
- 8
A flying skein of geese or other birds which have placed themselves in a V-shaped formation.
symbol
- 1
Viscount.
- 2
Viscountess.
preposition
- 1
UKAbbreviation of versus.
England v Scotland
adverb
- 1
informalAbbreviation of very.
You were acting v rude to his boyfriend on New Year's.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does v come from?
From Middle English lower case letter v (also written u), from Old English lower case u and respelling of Old English f between vowels and voiced consonants.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).